Detour
by Lillium-Nakano
Summary: Life finally gets better for Chie until the perfect storm starts to brew. Chie slowly begins to realize that she is merely a pawn in a third party's game. Aoi x Chie with a love triangle. Chapter two and three is up! As always, read and review.
1. Caught in Headlights

Hey everyone long time no see! I know it's been about three years since my last upload, but I had an itch to start writing again. So, I started out fresh with a new story and hopefully my writing skills have improved since my last upload (if not then shit, I'm screwed). Just a quick tidbit about my writing style for newcomers (and some of the people that actually favored me) before my writing somewhat rushed. I re-read most of my work that was actually posted on this site and perhaps it's my nagging voice of perfection talking, but I wasn't too impressed. Most of my stuff wasn't nearly as fleshed out as I intended in my head. So, with this new story I plan to correct that error and flesh out all of the characters with their own personalities. They'll have their quirks, both good and bad, so I hope some of them you love and some of them you hate. (Or hate to love)

I'm hoping that some people like this chapter and if that ends up being the case I'll continue to write more. So, assuming people don't utterly hate it, this means that I'll need another beta reader as well that could help me with my grammar and punctuation (because I don't always catch them, especially when I write half of this stuff at 3 am in the morning). If the story kicks off and you're interested, lemme know by the comments or shoot me an invite on MSN (let me know before you invite me though, you know how it is)

So without further adieu, I present the first chapter of a fic that was three years in the making (at least in my head it was).

Rated: T for language, sexual themes and crude humor.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-Hime or any of its characters.

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><p>They say that karma exists throughout all our lives. If you're terrible to everyone, something shitty will happen to you. If life is shitty and you're a good person, something great will end up coming your way. I pretty much fall into the latter category, and to be honest, I'm still waiting on my karma return. I wasn't necessarily blessed with any redeeming genetic traits and most of my life is consistently mediocre. That chick with glasses seemed to be my only identifier. My parents fought all my life, so instead of getting a divorce they simply decided to move the one thing they argued about most, which of course would be me. As soon as I became old enough, they shipped me off to Fuuka Academy declaring how it was "the best boarding school in the country" and how I was "so lucky I was even accepted". The truth of course is that having a child is difficult for them (it always was) so although they really couldn't afford it, they were damn sure to save enough money to ship me out of town the moment my birthday came.<p>

At first I was an optimist. I saw this as a great opportunity to meet some new friends and come into my own without having to listen to my parents fight every night. Although Fuuka Academy ended up being a real nice school (the credentials on any resume is enough for anyone), the people there were, to put it bluntly, a bunch of rich snobs. My family wasn't wealthy and I certainly didn't have the personality to convince anyone elsewise, so it's safe to say I had a hard time fitting in. Now this is when karma gets a little weird, because then something great did happen to me. One day while I was still in middle school, I met a girl named Nao Yuuki. It wasn't a real magical encounter; we just ended up being paired up as lab partners for biology but to me it was like finally seeing sunshine after years of slugging through rain. As young as I was, I immediately knew I was so gay for her. The way her eyes looked through me or the corner of her mouth tugging upwards into her famous smirk did some weird things to my stomach. I loved everything about her, from how her hair always seemed to be messy because she never felt like toying with it, or how she laughed really loud at some of the dumbest things. I felt like I had known her my entire life, yet every time I got near her I got really nervous and tried to avoid eye contact.

I'm not sure she really noticed. If she did, she never said anything because that's how she was. She was always carefree, easy-going, and always ready to make you laugh when all you wanted to do was cry. So it's safe to say my little middle school heart was head over heels for this girl. We became close almost immediately. She'd sneak into my room and we'd end up talking and laughing throughout most of the night (making Natsuki, my roommate, pretty much pissed all the time). I remember one night just lying there, watching her chest fall with each breath. She opened her eyes and I tried to shift my gaze elsewhere, but my eyes were hopelessly caught in hers. Then she smiled. It seemed to me that she felt exactly how I felt, that somehow our souls, or whatever, were completely engaged in one another.

The next day I finally got the courage to confess. I figured I'd pay my shitty dues, and I'd finally get the karma return that I've been waiting for. I didn't make too big of a deal about it, I just assumed she felt the same way because she always seemed to have that special smile or laugh or look that always seemed to be reserved just for me.

I tried to be smooth about it.

"We should go out sometime," I said casually one night in my room when Natsuki was out. Nao was reading a magazine and didn't even look up at me.

"We always go out," she said with her eyes flickering back and forth on the page.

"Not like that," I took a breath and all the courage I had with it. "Like on a date. You know, somewhere nice."

Her eyes were still focused on the page.

"That's disgusting, Chie," she turned to the next page. I wasn't even worth the eye contact.

_That's disgusting._

That was that. We never talked about it again. She didn't freak, or yell, or even batted an eye. That was that and we continued with our lives. Or well, she did.

_That's disgusting._

Even three years later the phrase still haunted me. Each time I thought I was over it and moved on she'd smile at me again, making my stomach churn, and the first thing that pops in my head is that very same phrase.

_That's disgusting._

Karma's a bitch, right? We stayed best friends of course, as if it never happened. Now in high school she's fairly popular and goes through boys like tissues. She had that charming way about her that would get any man to do anything she wanted. Whether it was high school boys, teachers, or anyone else for that matter, she'd always get her way.

So here I am sitting behind her watching her foot slowly move up the calf of the boy sitting in front of her. This latest model was called Rei. He was the Vice President of the student council and known to be a cool collective guy that quite a few of the girls wanted. Right now with her foot stroking him he squirmed like a little bitch. That was Nao; she was able to turn even the "coolest" of people into putty. Now I'm not usually a violent person but I have to admit I was really jealous so the thought of shooting a pencil at high velocity through his skull may have crossed my mind once or twice. I wondered how I'd react if she did it to me. Well I definitely wouldn't be on the verge of visibly creaming my pants in my seat. I'd probably respond back or…

_That's disgusting, Chie._

I shifted my gaze back up to the front of the class. One of the more popular girls was presenting her student project about the decimation gas-powered vehicles had on the world. I never really registered her name although I've seen her around a lot. She definitely was well kept and spoke well in front of a crowd. She probably watched rich Mommy and Daddy do it all the time at their high executive meetings.

She finished her presentation and bowed to the class.

Professor Kao (whom we call "The Dinosaur" based on an estimation of his age) thanked her (called her Senou which is a pretty strong family name) and she smiled at him and took her seat. She had a fairly kind and honest way about her. Perhaps I was too judgmental.

In the corner of my eye I caught Nao sticking her tongue out at me stating her obvious opinion of the girl. She was never a huge fan of any of the other popular girls. I chuckled and shut my notebook. At least I wasn't the only judgmental one.

The Dinosaur dismissed us early for lunch, so I packed the rest of my things and headed over to Nao's desk.

"You heading to the cafeteria?" I asked, trying real hard to seem like I wasn't staring at her or mentally threatening her boyfriend the entire class. She shook her head and clung to Rei's arm.

"We've got some private plans to attend to," and with that she gave me her famous smirk. Rei's face went completely red. I'm pretty sure I responded somewhat neutrally, although that whole stabbing him in the face with a pencil scenario popped in my head again. So I ended up leaving the class alone.

I always figured that after I confessed a part of me seemed to die. Sure I was always pretty cynical and not the type of person you invited to a party but when I was around Nao I always felt seemingly happy. Or well, at least what I thought might have been happy. After the confession, that part of me died with the prospects of us getting any closer than being "friends". Sure I felt the loss at first, but after each day of constantly seeing her with the word "disgusting" ringing back in my ears I ended up being numb to the pain I felt.

So, numbingly, I walked into the computer lab and logged in. Nao's been pretty "active" with her boyfriends since we got into high school, and every now and then she gets an itch during school hours that she scratches on our lunch break. Whenever that happens, I find myself in the most comfortable place in the school, which happens to be what Nao calls "the land where the nerds hide from the real world". She had a point seeing as how I was hiding from the real world. I surfed a couple of my usual sites when someone walked in. Usually it's just me and maybe some random nerd playing World of Warcraft, seeing as how most of the "cool" kids wouldn't get caught dead in the computer lab outside of class. Imagine my surprise when that Senou girl from The Dinosaur's class came walking in. She smiled at me and took her seat in the station next to mine.

I shifted my focus back to my computer. I was scanning some auctions that I had some bids on when she reached over and tapped my hand. My arm jerked a little from the sudden touch.

"Oh, sorry," she smiled at me. She had a kind smile. "It's just, well, I was wondering if your internet works."

I refreshed my page to make sure.

"Yeah looks like it does."

"Could you take a look at mine? It's not connecting to the page." I nodded and rolled my chair to her station. As I was checking some of the settings I caught her staring at me instead of the computer. She was probably laughing inside about how much of a dork I was to be here on our lunch break. Then again, she was here too but that didn't make me any less nervous.

"Looks like someone accidentally tried to re-assign the DNS server," I fixed it and sat back in my chair. "There, should be fixed."

Her eyes went back to the monitor and then back to me, still smiling.

"Yeah that seemed to do the trick." I nodded and rolled back to my station. I figured that would be the end to our riveting conversation, but she followed me back. "I took a few computer science courses but you seem to know a lot more than I do," she chuckled.

Computer science at Fuuka was laughable to any normal tech school standards. They pretty much teach you how to turn the computer on and how to not electrocute yourself.

"I build computers outside of school as a somewhat hobby," I replied. Nao would always crinkle her nose and call me a geek whenever a new shipment came in for the project I was working on. I didn't really care what people thought, it was something that I enjoyed doing and I wasn't about to let that go.

"That's really cool," I expected this Senou girl to laugh at me. Perhaps maybe she just had the decency to keep a straight face and laugh with her friends later. Instead she kept talking.

"It's Harada right? Chie?" She asked. I actually made eye contact with her. She had kind eyes too.

"Yeah, and you're Senou? From Kao's class?" She nodded.

"You can call me Aoi though." Aoi. I still didn't understand what she wanted. Most people really didn't talk to me much unless they were Nao's friends and forced to make polite conversation.

There was a little bit of an awkward pause.

"So uh," I thought of something a normal person would say to make conversation. "You did really well on your presentation today." Although I was only paying attention to the end of it, I figured I shouldn't tell her that.

She sighed.

"Oh damn I was so nervous! I'm REALLY bad at talking in front of people," she covered her face out of embarrassment. That made me even more awkward, so I tried to fill it with babble.

"Nah you couldn't tell. Definitely better than most people in that class. Especially that Tate kid that seemed like he was going to wet himself up there," I couldn't tell if that was too judgmental but I didn't have a lot of practice talking with total strangers.

"Yeah he's a friend of mine," she stated. Crap. I just insulted her friend. Before I could say sorry she read my mind and added to her original statement. "Although he probably was. The night before, he was practicing his speech on the phone with me for hours. I'm shocked he didn't pass out when the time actually came." She gave me that smile again. I think I actually laughed.

The warning bell rang for class so I took that as my cue to log off and pack my things.

"Oh before you go," she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "Let's exchange numbers and do lunch sometime." She scribbled down some numbers and handed it to me.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Right. Real smooth there, Chie. She smiled at me again.

"Want to give me yours? Just in case I have another computer issue and the whole world depends on it," she handed the pencil to me. Going with it, I scratched down my name and cell number.

She thanked me and hopped out the door, with her bronze hair bouncing as she left. I looked down at the paper and her loopy handwriting and couldn't help but wonder:

_The hell?_

Nao caught me in the hallway on my way to the next class.

"Hey where were you? I was looking for you," she looped her arm around mine as we walked. Immediately I had to try to seem like it didn't send a thousand bolts of lightning through my skin.

"What happened to your 'private plans'?" I asked. She let out an exaggerated groan.

"Rei is a quick shooter. I swear to God if he wasn't so hot he'd be a goner after the first day," she sighed and I couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously though, where were you?"

"Land of the nerds," I muttered trying to focus on keeping my poker face. She crinkled her nose as if I was hanging out in a dumpster or something. To salvage some pride I tried to make it seem like I wasn't there for me. "That Senou girl from The Dinosaur's class had some computer issues."

Nao chuckled at that.

"Of course SHE hangs out in the land of the nerds. I always knew something was off about her," I almost felt bad for using Aoi as a cover. Almost being a key word, because it was hard to feel anything when all my senses were concentrated on her touching me.

We finally got to my class so she hugged me and we parted ways. A fantasy popped in my head that I would tug her back towards me and kiss her before she left. I shook my head hoping the "disgusting" thoughts would fly out if I shook hard enough. I took my seat and before class began I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket.

Curiously, I flipped it open.

_I know this is pretty sudden. Sorry! D: But want to have lunch together tomorrow? :) –Aoi_

Immediately I was suspicious. I knew this girl was one of those popular girls that had plenty of friends to eat lunch with. The only plausible explanation is that Nao slept with her boyfriend and this Senou girl might be looking for ways to get back at her. That's happened before and since Nao is so tough herself the girls would sometimes come after me, scared of a conflict with Nao herself. I'm fairly certain I've been yelled at for Nao's discretions more than Nao herself.

With a sigh I decided there was only one thing I could do to know for sure.

_Sure. Meet me in the computer room. –Chie_

I closed the phone and dozed off the rest of the class, hanging onto that numb feeling. Hopefully, tomorrow wouldn't be a big deal.

Hopefully.

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><p>The next day I was pretty worried about my lunch with Aoi. I asked Nao if Rei was seeing anyone when they met and she rolled her eyes at me.<p>

"No of course not. Judging by his tenacity in bed he was probably a virgin for all I know."

I doubt that she was sleeping with anyone else; usually she would tell me in passing. When she juggled more than one guy she usually boasted about it like a badge of honor. Once, she had five boyfriends at a time. That was not a good week for me.

During The Dinosaur's class I stared at the back of Aoi's head, contemplating what she was going to try and pull during lunch. Once during Kao's lecture she glanced back and me and smiled. It was still a kind smile. I didn't even so much as glance at Nao throughout the entire class.

After the Dinosaur dismissed us for the dreaded lunch period, Nao came over groaning.

"Ugh he wants to do it again today and honestly I doubt I could go through that one more time without laughing," she gave me her smile. "So, where do you want to have lunch?"

I glanced at Aoi as she left the room.

"Sorry, I have plans for lunch today," I said. I didn't want to give out any other details so I could protect Nao if this Senou girl really was planning something.

"Oh." Nao looked at me puzzled. I don't blame her, I never have plans. Ever.

"Sorry," I mumbled again and left the room to head towards the computer lab.

I took in a deep breath before I opened the door. This won't be so bad. If it really is about Nao she'll just yell and threaten and it'll blow over in a week or so.

When I entered she was standing and waiting for me. The room was empty.

"Hey," she said seemingly nervous. Oh God. I hope that she wasn't in love with Rei or something and is now going to break down and cry saying my best friend stole him from her. I think I'd rather her yell at me than her cry.

"Hey," I replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Uhm, there's been something I've been wanting to say to you but I don't really know how to say it so," she stepped closer to me.

Shit here we go. I tried to mentally brace myself for any lashing she was going to give. I was sure this was about Nao. It had to be.

She got really close and I was prepared for her to start yelling or crying or something. She placed her hand at the back of my neck and pushed my face down closer to hers and for a second I might have blacked out. I opened my eyes and felt her lips against mine. For a moment she felt incredibly soft and fragile, just like her eyes.

_And smile_.

At first I was ready to panic. I thought maybe I blacked out and in some fit of insanity kissed her. Perhaps all my lesbian tendencies suddenly overflowed and this poor girl with these soft lips was in my path of lesbionic destruction.

But no. She was pressing against me.

She broke away and her eyes searched mine. She chuckled, probably at the fact that I looked like Bambi caught in headlights.

"There. I said it," she said with her small, soft smile. Her voice was in a whisper. "Want to go out with me sometime?"

It was weird having that question being echo'd back.

My heart was pounding and my stomach was doing flips again. I felt something and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, although I'm sure I felt it before.

_Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting .Disgusting. _

I shut my brain off and allowed my lips to move with the pounding of my heart.

"Sure," I said. With that, I leaned in and kissed her again.

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><p>Phew. Hoped you guys liked it! Don't forget to post a review if you liked it (or even if you hated it. I love to improve). Until next time!<p>

-Lillium


	2. Unwavering Glare

Hey everyone! I was surprised at how much everyone like the first chapter so I went ahead with the next one. I'm hoping to flesh out each of the characters a little more so you guys can guess at their motivations and desires. Once again, let me know how you guys like it!

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><p>Chapter 2- Unwavering Glare<p>

I kept telling myself it was a joke. In my mind it simply had to be a joke, there was no other explanation. She was popular, smart, and absolutely gorgeous. I've been avoiding her since we kissed yesterday. I just imagined her running to her friends right after and laughing at the big lesbo that fell for her trick.

My eyes were focused on the back of her head all throughout class. I didn't hear a single word The Dinosaur said. That is, until he called on me.

"Chie, would you like to tell me one of the most prominent leading western economic theories?" He practically glared at me, obviously knowing that I wasn't paying attention. The entire class turned to look at me. Aoi included.

Briefly, our eyes met. Those soft eyes tried to burn right through me. My face went completely red as I glanced away.

"Er.. The United States developed an capitalist economic theory commonly called "trickle-down" economics," I looked at him, hoping that my memory didn't fail me this time. He raised an eyebrow.

"And what does that mean?" He asked.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, still trying to avoid eye contact with Aoi. Hell, I avoided eye contact with anyone at that point.

"Basically if they pumped money into businesses and different companies, the wealth would "trickle down" to the workers as well. The more successful the business, the more jobs available and the better the economy gets," this time I prayed that he would just take the answer and leave it.

"Very good Chie, but how about we keep our minds focused on the work instead of daydreaming all class, hm?" If my face wasn't already red, it probably looked as red as a baboon's ass right about now. With The Dinosaur calling me out like that, I felt like a baboon's ass.

_This is ridiculous. I should try and confront her so I can get back to my normal life. No matter how boring or pathetic it may be._

My burst of courage faded fast. I told myself I'd confront her later, perhaps when I obtain the balls to do so. I sighed and kept my eyes on my books the rest of the class, too scared to even glance at her and make that eye contact again. Afraid that her eyes would pull me in and I wouldn't be able to look away.

Finally, Dinosaur dismissed us and I quickly gathered my things and practically sprinted out of the room for lunch. I made my way to one of the more unpopular hallways during lunch and sat down to start unpacking my food. Recently it seemed my mind was constantly on Aoi. I kept thinking about that kiss and my face would blush and a continuous stream of thoughts would assault my brain. When I would finally have control of these racing emotions, the kiss would pop in my head again and it would start all over.

I sighed and took a bite out of my rice. I couldn't even taste it.

"There you are." I felt like I'd jump about ten feet high when I thought Aoi had chased me down to assault me with questions on why I haven't texted her back. Or to laugh at me for kissing her. Instead it was Nao with a very obvious frown. Shit. I forgot about Nao.

"Uh, hey," I tried to recover and make it look like I didn't just pee my pants thinking she might have been Aoi. "How did you find me here?"

She smirked.

"Because I know you. When something is bothering you, immediately you run off to the most unpopulated area to brood and sigh," she sat down next to me and grabbed a chunk of my rice with her fingers. I wrinkled my nose and snapped at her with my chopsticks.

"I don't "brood" like some sort of angsty emotional metal-head." She laughed at this and ignored my chopsticks to take another chunk of rice.

"So what is it then?" I looked at her with my most puzzled expression, hoping I could feign ignorance and convince her that I wasn't constantly worried about a beautiful popular girl making out with me in the computer lab. "Don't give me that, it seems like you've been trying to avoid me since yesterday." There was a bit of rice that clung to her bottom lip. Suddenly my brain was flooded with Nao again, and how much I wanted to kiss her. How I wanted to run my tongue along her bottom lip and take back my rice.

Feeling guilty and confused I looked away.

"It's not you," I said shortly. I hoped she'd let me leave it like that but then again this is Nao we're talking about.

"Then what is it oh dark brooding one?" She smiled and I couldn't help but follow suit. Obviously if it wasn't about her it must not be something too terrible. That's how Nao is with me. She believes that my life revolves around her. Even knowing that I couldn't help but smile with her, mainly because it was partly true.

Until now, that is.

"Really, it's nothing. Just waiting for the field trip to come so we can get out of this shit hole for a week," I said although I couldn't give a single damn about any of our field trips. Each time I've been forced to stand outside some sort of room watching for teachers while Nao fooled around with whatever boy toy she picked that trip.

I hoped that she'd accept my answer without any other pursuit. She did.

"Ugh, I know right? We desperately need a break from this awful place. The field trip can't come soon enough."

We sat in silence for a while. Suddenly she grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye.

"You do know that if something was bother you, I want you to be able to tell me right?" I nodded as I tried to calm my screaming hormones that reacted to her touch, hoping blood hasn't rushed to my face.

"Good," she continued as she stood up and brushed off her skirt. "Anyway, we should hang out more. I know I've been busy and all but it feels like you're becoming distant.

"Okay," I said softly. There's nothing I wanted more.

"All right, it's settled then," she winked at me. "I don't want to lose my favorite nerd." I couldn't help but chuckle at her confident smirk.

She cared for me. She wanted to spend more time with me. It seemed like after the whole kiss scenario with Aoi I completely forgot about Nao. Those feelings for Nao resurfaced again and I realized once more how much I really loved her. I should deal with this whole Aoi situation as soon as possible.

Nao started walking away when I called after her.

"Where'ya heading? We still have twenty minutes of lunch left," I asked curiously. She turned with her signature smirk and shrugged her shoulders with her hands raised.

"I'm still training Rei on how to get rid of his quick-shot tendencies, so he needs plenty of practice," with this she turned back and continued walking with her arm raised in a wave.

Those feelings faded as quickly as they came. I stared down at my half-eaten lunch while the emptiness took over again. Although my body was incredibly still, a war was going on in my head. Finally I made a decision.

I took a deep breath and got my cell phone out of my bag. I highlighted her name and began typing my message.

_Hey sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet. I'd love to go out tonight if you're free. Maybe Tao's at seven? That is, if you still want to._

With my appetite gone, I packed my things back up and rested my head on the wall. My phone was clenched tightly in my hand. A quick beep signaled that Aoi replied.

_Of course I still want to :) Seven it is. I can't wait!_

As I read it, her voice popped in my head and I felt unusually relieved and calm. I stood up and started heading to class. I'm tired of torturing myself and ready to take a chance on someone that might love me the way I love them. My thoughts flickered back to Nao and about her touch practically set me on fire.

At least, I hoped I was ready.

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><p>I stared in the mirror and critiqued everything about me. I was too skinny and my hair was too messy. Dark circles under my eyes signified the late nights I spent either tweaking my computer or thinking about Aoi. I probably tried on five different outfits and came to the realization that all my clothes had the same theme. Dark, gloomy, and boring. I sighed and tried on an old polo style shirt that my parents forced me to wear during Fuuka opening ceremonies. At least it didn't make me look like I was some sort of dark poet. I took one last glance in the mirror and fixed a stray strand of hair until I thought I was finally ready.<p>

The door opened as my roommate Natsuki came in. Judging from the sweat and iPod headphones I assume she had just gotten back from a jog. I guess you have to jog all the time if you want to continue being the top track star in the school. One of her eyebrows rose at my attire. She took one of the ear buds out while she looked me up and down.

"Date tonight or something?" She asked. Of course the blood had no problems of rushing to my face making my cheeks feel hot.

"N..No just going out for a bit," I muttered and turned to get my bag. She shrugged and went into our shared bathroom. That's one thing I liked about Natsuki. She never asked too deeply about my business and I returned the favor for her. We kept our spaces separate and ended up being very good roommates to each other.

I went over conversation topics in my head as I walked to the restaurant. I was really bad at small talk so I made sure I practiced as much as I could so I didn't royally fuck this up. About half way to Tao's restaurant my stomach felt like a tangled mess. I tried calming myself down so that I didn't look like one big nervous twitch the entire time.

I probably stood outside the restaurant for a good five minutes just staring at the sign. I was nervously tapping my fingers against my thigh. What if this did end up just being a joke? What if she just didn't show up finally realizing that I was just a boring self conscious nerd hopelessly in love with her best friend? I clenched my hand into a fist and took a deep breath. I stepped inside hoping I wasn't too early like a desperate loser.

I saw her immediately and we made eye contact. She smiled softly and waved me over. A wave of relief flowed over me and my buzzing mind went silent. It felt like the entire restaurant was completely dark except for her. She wore a modestly cut shirt with a dark sweater over it. The lights above her played off her hair to make it a rich golden brown. I smiled and sat across from her.

"Hey," I said keeping eye contact with her. Her smiled didn't waiver.

"Hey," she replied. She picked up the menu in front of her. "Do you have any idea what's good here? I can't seem to make up my mind."

Just like that all my worries seemed to fade. Conversation wasn't that difficult because she seemed completely able to come up with topics all on her own. The atmosphere was really comfortable, and I was so involved with Aoi that I didn't even notice the waiter who tapped his pen as he looked at me waiting for my drink order.

"Oh, uh, I'll just have a Coke," the waiter then looked at Aoi.

"And you sweetie?" He asked.

"The same please," she politely smiled at him. He jotted them down and gave us some time to choose what we wanted to order.

There was a reason why Tao's Restaurant was a popular choice among Fuuka Academy students. The close location aside, it had soft music and decent lighting as well as good food for a great price. It was a hot spot for the Fuuka dating crowd. I came over the sudden realization that I was actually on a date. With a girl. The nerves began creeping back into my stomach.

We were talking about what we were thinking of ordering as our waiter dropped our drinks off. We came to our decisions and ordered and he practically skipped off to place our order. I began taking a sip of my soda.

"You know," Aoi said as she folded her hands on the table. "I was really worried that you were involved with that Nao girl or something." I almost choked on my soda. She nervously scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry! Sometimes people say I'm too blunt. It's just, you always hung out with her and everything," I wiped my mouth with my napkin.

"No, no you're fine," I thought she might have read my weird nervous thoughts about Nao and the constant tug of war that went on in my head. "We're just friends. We've been best friends since we were kids."

She took a sigh of relief.

"Good," she smiled. "Because I wanted you all to myself."

This time I smiled back. It was strange, Aoi had such confidence that couldn't seemed to be matched. Not like Nao's confidence where it seemed like she was always in on some joke you didn't know about, but Aoi had more of a calm sturdiness to her. She laughed easily especially at my corny jokes and it made me feel completely at ease.

We kept talking as we ate, and I started to feel as if I've always known Aoi my entire life. She was smart, steady and very easy going. Even when we finished eating we just kept conversing with very little effort. For once, my brain was turned off and I was relaxed.. As we were talking we realized that the minutes turned to hours and the restaurant was almost closing.

I gave the waiter my money and Aoi protested.

"I wanted to pay for it," she pouted at me. I shook my head and smiled.

"How about you pay for next time?" I offered. I hoped that there would be a next time. Judging by her reaction, I think she was just as happy at the prospect as I was.

"Definitely," she smiled back at me.

"I don't know," I began to say. "I might end up taking you to an expensive sea food restaurant next time and you'll already be bound by dating rules 101 to pay for it." She laughed at this and took my hand. I think my heart was about to burst it's way out of my chest.

"I wouldn't care if it meant spending more time with you." I kept my eyes locked on hers and wondered how someone so perfect would want to spend time with a geek like me.

We headed out of the shop. A breeze came over us and Aoi shivered. I put my arm around her shoulders and brought her close to me to keep her warm. I hoped I wasn't moving too fast and nervously looked away. In response, she wrapped her arms around my midsection and held on tight as we walked back to the dorms.

We kept making small talk as we held each other. It felt so natural and so comfortable, like I had held her hundreds of times before. We stopped in front of her dorms and she faced me keeping my eyes locked on hers.

"I had a great time, Chie," she said softly. I nodded.

"Me too." With that she raised herself up and pressed her lips against mine. I complied and allowed my hands to rest on her waist as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

It felt as if all the lights went out and the world faded around us. For the first time in a very long time, I actually felt a spark of happiness that encouraged the beating of my heart in my ears. My brain was completely silent.

I was so oblivious to the outside world and so involved with Aoi that I had forgotten that coincidentally Aoi's dorm room was just right down the hall from Rei's. I also didn't see Nao's intense stare as we kissed outside Aoi's door.

No, by the time Aoi went into her room and I looked down the hall Nao had slipped away. I was completely oblivious to the fact that she saw the entire thing.

I practically skipped down the hall whistling to myself unaware of the giant shit storm that was about to commence.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! Time for the shit storm to start gathering... As always let me know what you thought of the chapter! Until next time!<p>

-Lillium


	3. Brewing a Storm

Another update so soon? Is the world ending? I don't know what it is but I've been strangely motivated to keep going with this story. I have a lot of plans for our characters and I'm hoping you all enjoying reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I do have to say that this chapter took forever! I wanted to get some very key character development points down and so I definitely re-tweaked it a few times. Anyway, as always please review it when you're done reading so I know what I can improve on!

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><p>Chapter 3- Brewing a Storm<p>

Of course I'm going to screw it up. For the first time in years I've actually felt comfortably happy, which means something bad was going to happen. Each time Aoi and I go out for dinner or a movie, I always wonder if that would be the night she was going to finally realize how incredibly dull I was and cut the rope that held us together.

The funny part about the perfect storm is the fact that the most destructive storms are the ones you aren't prepared for. The storms that appear suddenly and quickly leaving you no room to prepare or recover. It simply just wipes you out and leaves you in ruins.

Each time I see her I take a sharp inhale of breath and wonder if it's going to be the last. A few months have gone by and there I was still sitting across the table from her. My mind tends to go numb whenever I lock eyes with her and that constant paranoia seems to get gently shoved to the side.

When we were together, it felt like everything was going to turn out okay. When she smiled I felt relaxed and tried to hush that nagging sense of paranoia that constantly tried to whisper in my ear.

"Are you excited for the class trip?" She asked as she took a bite of her food. We were at Tao's restaurant again, mainly because it was such a comfortable atmosphere and Aoi took a liking to their food. I didn't care where we went, I would go dumpster diving if it meant spending more time with her.

"Uh, where are we going again?" Fuck if I could remember. I hated field trips just as much as I hated school in general. It made no difference. She giggled at my question.

"We leave tomorrow and you have no idea where they're going to be taking you?" She raised her eyebrows. Her eyes tried to hide a hint of laughter. "We're going to the Fire Maiden Temple. It's the same temple that was built based on the story of the book we've been reading all semester."

Oh right. The book that Nao and I threw out the first day of our literature class.

"Oh yeah I think I read like, the first page?" My face started to turn red. It's safe to say I wasn't doing too well in my literature class. Aoi shook her head.

"You know they say it's a great romantic getaway for couples," the corner of her mouth tugged up into a mischievous smirk.

"You've caught my attention," I leaned closer to her, making sure not to break the eye contact.

"If you actually read the book you'd know it's a very tragic story," she leaned forward until her warm breath brushed against my lips. "Tragic but very romantic."

I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips against hers. She gripped my neck with her free hand and kissed me harder as a reply. My body felt like it was on fire that started into my gut and extended throughout each of my limbs.

She broke away and kept my eyes focused on hers. She still kept that sly spark in her eyes that she always had when she knew she was about to win at something. I sighed and pressed my forehead against hers.

"I guess I have to pick up a new copy of that book and read some of it tonight in preparation of this very important and educational class trip," I said softly while matching her smile. She kissed me again.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Chie," she said. She's been trying to help me with my studies since she found out I'm struggling shortly after we first started going out. She definitely never tried to nag me, but she had these brilliant ways of getting me to actually do some of the work. Most of the time it consisted of me getting rewarded each time I did well in a class. This usually meant some good "studying" time with Aoi in the library. I didn't mind this at all, because I am actually pretty good at retaining information, I just never did any of the work. Until Aoi gave me a slight push of encouragement that is.

Eventually I stopped doing it for the rewards and started working harder merely for the fact that I had to keep up with Aoi if I wanted to stay in the same classes with her. If I let myself slip too far down they'd put me in a lower level class until I improved. Seeing as how I'd be miserable if I didn't have class with her anymore, I actually started studying.

My teachers were more shocked than I was when I started receiving higher marks.

We paid for our meals (it was Aoi's turn to pick it up this time), quickly stopped by the bookstore for a copy of "Princess of Fire", and started walking back to the dorms with our hands intertwined. We made small chat while walking, our breath making a light fog against the cool air. I didn't mind the cold so much anymore because it meant that I got to hold Aoi tight against me as we walked to keep warm.

We arrived at Aoi's door when my phone buzzed in my coat pocket. Aoi's eyebrow raised as I checked the message I received.

_Where the hell are you? I thought you were going to help me pack tonight._

Crap. I completely forgot about Nao. I pondered that statement for a moment. I forgot about her. It seemed weird coming from the brain that obsessed over her for so many years.

These past few months Nao has been pretty agitated with my distance. Of course I haven't told her about Aoi and I but I had this feeling that she knew something was up with me. Which was obvious of course, because before Aoi I never did anything unless it was with Nao. Strangely Nao didn't even ask about my whereabouts or press me for any answers which was very unlike her. I simply took it as a sign that she was just as involved with Rei as I was with Aoi.

"Everything okay?" Aoi asked curiously.

"Yeah, I just promised that I'd help Nao pack for the trip. She's wondering where I'm at," I replied. Nao hates it when people are late to hang out with her although she's rarely ever on time.

"I take it you still haven't told her?" Aoi's arms were crossed as she looked at me. We've discussed the subject before. Of course I never told Aoi about all the undying one-sided love that I had with Nao for so many years, which is why I couldn't explain exactly why I couldn't tell Nao about our relationship. Or why every now and then when Aoi and I kiss there is a small voice in the back of my head whispering how disgusting it all is.

"No, not yet," I stated simply. Aoi sighed and took my hand.

"Look, I know how important your best friend is to you," the warmth from her hand soaked into mine. "But you'll have to rip off the Band-Aid and tell her eventually. She's got to wonder who you've been spending all your time with." I nodded.

"Yeah you're right. I guess I'm just afraid at what she'll think." This was mainly because I knew exactly what she'd think.

_That's disgusting Chie._

"If she doesn't accept you for who you are then obviously you deserve a better best friend," Aoi's voice was barely a whisper against the cold wind. I sighed and nodded.

"After the trip. I promise."

She smiled and gave me a small kiss.

"After the trip then. We'll tough it out together," she gave me a tight embrace before we broke off. Silently we stood there for a few moments thinking about what was in store for us.

"Well," I started as I checked the time on my phone. Yeah I was definitely late for my little meet up with Nao. "I guess I better get going then."

Aoi grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her.

"I have a better idea," she unzipped my outer jacket and placed her hands under it on my waist. "Why don't you come inside for a while? I'll make you some hot tea." Her face was close and the warmth of her breath softly brushed against my cheeks. Suddenly I didn't feel so cold.

I've been inside Aoi's dorm before. Her parents had paid for a private room without a roommate because they didn't want anyone distracting her from her studies. We've hung out in there plenty of times before during the day to either study or pass time by watching incredibly stupid B-rated movies that she loved to watch so much.

We've never took that big step though. There were a few times where I thought we were going to but we both mutually decided to take it slow and let everything flow on its own. Knowing we'd be alone together this late tangled my insides into a tight knot.

Aoi's expression didn't waiver while she waited for my answer. My phone buzzed again and I quickly flipped it open to look at the screen. Nao's name flashed as an incoming call. I thought about all the times she ditched me for the sake of her boy toys. I looked back at Aoi as I declined the call and closed my phone.

"I'd love some hot tea."

Aoi smiled when she took my hand and led me through the door. She flipped on the lights and I couldn't help but notice how neatly she had everything. Even the suitcase that she packed was nice and orderly. It was definitely opposite to how my room was. Especially since Natsuki wasn't all that neat herself, we really haven't ever taken the time to tidy it up all too often.

Aoi gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"Mind if I change first?" I shook my head in reply.

She slipped off her jacket and started pulling up her sweater as she walked towards her bathroom. The bottom part of her undershirt stuck to it briefly, flashing me her bare lower back. It felt like my stomach was doing flips.

I really wanted to make a move. A nervous wave of doubt and paranoia washed over me. I feared that she wasn't ready for that and I was receiving the wrong signals. I feared how incredibly nervous I was and how it might make me seem awkward and weird. Most of all I wondered if Nao's voice would come back in my head and remind me of the reality.

_Disgusting_

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and took in a deep breath. The buzzing in my head became softer and quieter.

"Aoi," I said and took a few steps towards her. Her long hair was still messy from the wind outside and her lips were still a shade of bright pink from the cold.

"Hm?" She hummed and stood in front of me. The buzzing in my head was immediately replaced with the drumming of my heart that beat rhythmically in my ears.

"I'm not a huge fan of tea," and with that I slid my hand gently under her undershirt and traced my fingers alongside her lower back. She ever so slightly shivered against me and grabbed the back of my neck to bring me into a long hard kiss.

It didn't take very long for my nerves to silence themselves. As we made our way to her bed everything felt so completely natural and right that it felt like we've done all of this over a hundred times by now. That night I let down every barrier I've built my entire life to let her in. I stood in front of her utterly bare without a single defense.

I gave myself to her completely as she did the same for me. It was definitely the most amazing night of my life.

Sheets were intertwined around our bodies as we lay there in silence staring at one another after our moments of intimacy. I allowed my fingers to trace the curve of her hips. Her skin was all one perfect tone and even with her messy hair clinging to her cheek from a touch of sweat, she was the most incredibly gorgeous woman I could have ever imagined.

I brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear and kissed her once more. When are lips parted she kept her eyes on mine.

"Chie?"

"Aoi." I replied and pulled her closer. She pressed her forehead against mine as I rested my arm gently on her waist.

"I love you, Chie," it was such a short and simple statement that meant so much more than what three little words could possibly represent. I smiled and kissed her once more.

"I love you too."

She shifted her weight on top of me and not another word was uttered for the next hour or so.

* * *

><p>I was skipping once more back to my dorms and this time whistling to myself as I replayed the last few hours in my head. The cold air didn't even have any effect on me. I had my book in one hand and a huge smile on my face.<p>

This is what happiness felt like. My cheerful expression turned into a puzzled one when I saw Natsuki walking away from our dorm room.

"Natsuki?" I asked. She glared at me with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Your friend was annoying the shit out of me so I'm going to stay elsewhere tonight."

Oh crap. I completely forgot about Nao again. I apologized to Natsuki and rushed into my room. Her arms and legs were crossed with her eyes closed. She definitely knew it was me though.

"God Nao I'm so sorry! I uh, lost track of time with a study group and..." Her eyes snapped opened and looked me up and down. Suddenly I thought about how I must have looked. My clothes and hair were probably a mess. "I ran here as fast as I could." I hoped that would give me a decent cover.

"You know how much I hate being ditched without warning Chie," her voice was calm yet cold and her bright green eyes pierced through me like a twenty foot spear. In my head I struggled to find some sort of excuse.

"I thought that you might wanted one night left with Rei before the trip." I admit. It was a pretty terrible lie. Her eyes hardened even more.

"Rei and I broke up three weeks ago. If you were around more maybe you'd have known," her voice was laced with acid.

"Nao, I'm..."

"Was she worth it?" Her eyes didn't move from mine.

"Er what?" Did I hear that correctly? My stomach twisted into a knot again.

"You heard me," her voice cracked ever so slightly. Suddenly her calm demeanor crumbled and her voice was so loud that it hit me like a giant bag of bricks. "Was she that great of a fuck that you forgot about your best friend? Was it fucking worth it?" I flinched as if she slapped me. I almost thought she was going to.

Suddenly, tears slowly trailed down her face. I expected yelling. I expected every cuss word in the book to be thrown at me. I did not expect tears.

"Nao, I..." She brushed past me knocking into my shoulder on her way out the door. I cringed as the door slammed and stood there alone in my dorm in silence. Nao said "she". I could understand that she figured out I was seeing someone. She was incredibly perceptive so she could have figured that much out on her own, but she acted like she knew who. Like she knew details.

She cried. She must have been really into Rei to cry about them breaking up. The last time I've seen her cry was a very dark period for Nao. A few years ago her mother died and Nao completely broke down. Her mother was always sick since Nao was little but Nao was still very close to her. She died in the summer while we were home from school and Nao stayed by her side until the very last moments. The night she passed Nao had snuck into my house and into my room and broke down entirely. She clung to me for hours and did nothing but cry.

After that, I've never even seen her shed a tear. Until tonight. I tried to push thoughts of Nao aside and started packing for tomorrow.

Once I was finished packing my things I stared up at the ceiling in bed desperately trying to shut my brain off so I could sleep. It took a few hours, but I finally slipped into a desperate slumber.

* * *

><p>I stood in the middle of Tao's restaurant on top of one of the tables. Waves of my peers looked back at me with mocking smiles. I was confused at what they were smiling at until I looked down. I was completely naked. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I desperately searched for a blanket around me.<p>

Everyone started laughing and pointed. I spotted Aoi among them and pleaded with her to find me some clothes. Her eyes looked me up and down and she shook her head.

"What did I ever see in you?" She asked with her eyebrows raised. Then, she pointed at me and started laughing like the rest of them. All that laughter grew louder and louder. I cupped my ears to keep them out but it was no use. They pierced my skull and were now rolling around my brain.

I started running away into the winding streets that led out of our dorms. Each time I tried going back to my room I would get turned around. Eventually I ended up in front of Nao's dorm room. I pounded my fists on her door. My tears turned into puddles on the tiled dorm floors and those puddles turned upwards into rain.

The rain was cold and salty, drenching me as I banged on Nao's door. When Nao opened the door I was soaked and shivering, clinging to my naked body. Nao glared at me with her piercing eyes.

"What do YOU want?"

Pathetically I looked up at her in the rain. It was so dry in her room I was desperate to get in.

"Please, I..." Then Aoi came up from behind Nao.

"Who's this?" Aoi asked curiously as Nao put an arm around her.

"She's nobody," Nao answered and turned Aoi's face towards her and their lips met in a deep kiss.

"No, I'm.." My words stuck to my throat. The door moved slowly blocking out the two. The door finally closed with a loud SLAM and my eyes darted open.

I sat up in bed and looked around the room. It was definitely mine. I looked down and noticed I still had last night's clothes on. At least I wasn't naked.

I sighed and shook my head to get rid of that stupid nightmare. Sometimes I hated my brain. I checked the clock to see that it was 5AM. It was two hours before I was supposed to wake up. Unwilling to go back to sleep I slowly made my way to the bathroom to take a shower. I glanced to see Natsuki sleeping peacefully. I was glad that I didn't scream out from my nightmare and woke her up. Nao already bugged the shit out of her last night, I didn't want to cause anymore sleep deprivation for my sake.

Moving slower than usual either due to lack of sleep or the aftershock of my latest nightmare, I undressed and stepped in the shower. I was hoping the hot water would wash away last night's memories of Nao and the nightmare that followed them.

I stepped out when I was done and wiped the condensation off of the mirror to look at the state of me. Dark bags fell under my eyes and I was a very pale shade of.. well more pale.

I got dressed and stepped out of the bathroom to see Natsuki gone. Curiously I opened the back door to our balcony to peak outside. Natsuki was leaning against the building with a dark navy jacket on and a cigarette pressed in between her lips.

She looked at me and I noticed she was in the same shape I was. I closed the door behind me and leaned against the wall next to her. Although my head was wet and it was pretty cold out, I was so numb that I didn't even feel a thing.

"I know what you want to say," Natsuki took in a drag from the cigarette. "The top star of the track team probably shouldn't be smoking." Her eyes zoned out in front of her.

"No," I replied. "I don't care. It's none of my business."

She looked back at me. She was obviously appreciative of my willingness to stay out of her business.

"It was just a rough night," she stated. I assumed she meant Nao keeping her up.

"Oh I'm really sorry about last night," I began to apologize. She shook her head.

"No it wasn't you. It was something else," she took another drag. I nudged her gently.

"May I?" I asked pointing to her cigarette. She looked slightly surprised and held up her pack to me. I took a cigarette and the lighter she handed me and lit it. I only smoked once or twice before and would never make a habit out of it simply because of the terrible taste.

With a night like last night though, I'll make an exception. We stood there with a mutual silent understanding. I took a drag of the cigarette. I allowed myself to think of Aoi and our time together last night. A smile tried to tug on the sides of my lips, but then my mind shifted towards Nao and I kept frowning.

I didn't know how she was going to act today. Whether she had completely shunned me or if she was going to make a scene. Maybe she'd announce to everyone what a disgusting lesbian I was. If it went that public, would Aoi still want to be apart of it? I took another drag and tried to calm down. Whatever was going to happen, I was going to have to face it one way or another. Might as well see to it head-on.

I put out the cigarette and threw it off the side of the balcony.

"You know that's littering right?" Natsuki asked while her eyes followed me.

"Yeah I'll plant a tree tomorrow," I said and walked inside. I heard her let out a small chuckle as I shut the door behind me. Inwardly I sighed and checked the time. I had another hour to get to the school grounds.

I stretched and scratched the back of my head. Time to face it head-on.

* * *

><p>Standing in the crowd, I was tapping my hand against my thigh nervously as I waited for Nao. My head was buzzing trying to prepare for what was going to happen. I kept telling myself to take deep breaths. Nao was my friend. She wouldn't do anything rash to hurt me.<p>

A part of me doubted that statement.

"Chie!" I darted around expecting an angry Nao but instead was greeted by a cheerful Aoi. She wrapped her arms around my neck in an embrace. I forgot that she didn't know about the fight with Nao. She still had that post-night glow.

"You know you look like crap right? I didn't keep you up that long did I?" she asked softly in my ear.

"She knows," I whispered back. She broke away from me with her expression filled with surprise.

"You told her?" She asked cocking her head to the side.

"No, she found out on her own I think," I tried not to keep eye contact so she couldn't see exactly how exhausted I was from lack of sleep.

"How did she handle it?" I shook my head.

"Not very well," I replied. She was going to embrace me to try and comfort me but she stopped and fixated her eyes behind me. I turned around and saw that Nao's same old persona was still in tact after last night.

I braced myself for any yelling that was about to happen, but instead she came over and actually smiled at us.

"Hey guys," she said in her usual smooth tone. She turned to Aoi. "Hey Senou, do you mind if I sit with you on the bus? Rei has been trying to find an excuse to talk to me and I'd rather not if you get my drift?" She made a weird gagging face to express how little she wanted to talk to him.

Aoi glanced at me.

"Uh yeah sure," she replied back. Nao smiled her famous smile. Immediately I was suspicious. I didn't like the fact that Nao wanted to sit with Aoi.

"Thanks, you're a real lifesaver," Nao said and only glanced at me to show me her best smile. "The buses are here, shall we?" She asked. Aoi nodded and looked back to me as they walked away. She was definitely as worried as I was. Nao was acting as if nothing happened last night. It made me really nervous.

I ended up sitting with Natsuki more towards the back while Aoi sat a few seats in front of us with Nao. Natsuki paid very little attention to anything going on in the bus. She just kept staring out the window.

Nervously I kept glancing at Nao watching for another breakdown. I still didn't trust her sitting with Aoi.

"All right class," our literature teacher, Fumi-sensei stood in front of the bus. The driver cut the engine as she addressed us. "All of you here are part of group one. There will be five people per room and you will be in charge of making your own groups." A bunch of whispering filled the bus. Obviously this was well-received. Both Aoi and Natsuki immediately looked to me.

"Refocus please, group one!" Fumi tried raising her voice to match the crowd's. The bus began to hush. "You will make your groups when we get there so no need to rush!" Everyone murmured and quickly silenced themselves as she began to speak once more.

"As always, I expect you all to be on your best behavior. This means that groups must contain same-sex members only! We will not have any temptations no matter how romantic the destination may be," Fumi smiled. Everyone smiled back and a few girls giggled quietly. My eyes caught Aoi's and we ended up smiling at each other. That rule wouldn't be a problem for us.

It wasn't much longer until the bus driver fired the engine back up and we headed on our way. The entire bus ride was nothing short of boring. Nao ended up falling asleep against the window thirty minutes in the drive. I knew I probably should have tried doing the same, but I was still afraid about falling back into another nightmare. Instead, I opened my copy of "Princess of Fire" but couldn't focus hard enough to read it. I sighed and closed the book to stare at the back of Aoi's head.

I tried filling my thoughts of her and I last night. A warmth spread throughout my core. Aoi then caught me staring and shortly after my phone buzzed.

_She hasn't even said anything yet.~A._

I typed my message back.

_Really? She's acting as if everything's back to normal. It's really weird. Even for her._

_Maybe she took some time to think about it and accepted it? She is your best friend, maybe she just wants you to be happy.~A._

I thought back on that for a second.

_Maybe. _

_Anyway, you still look terrible. You need to try and get some sleep before we arrive :)~A._

I smiled.

_Sorry, I'm distracted by thoughts of "hot tea"_

I imagined her face getting red.

_That was only a sample :) When we get back home, I'll make you a full pot. It very well may blow your mind :)~A._

This time it was my turn to turn red. I checked back over to Natsuki to check if she was just as indifferent as ever. Lack of eye contact was my answer.

It was pretty funny. Normally Nao and I would make fun of people saying corny things like that to each other. It was different when you were doing the sending.

_I love you, Aoi._

With that she glanced back to me and smiled.

_I love you too, Chie. So do me a favor and get some sleep!~A._

_Yes ma'am. _

I leaned back and got more comfortable. With images of Aoi in my mind and the hum of the bus, sleep consumed me once more, this time without any nightmares.

The bus came to a halt and Natsuki nudged me.

"Hey, we're here."

I opened my eyes and quickly looked down. Good, I still had my clothes on. We filed out of the buses and started getting into our groups. Of course Nao and Aoi both stayed by me. Natsuki slowly walked over to us as well. Natsuki is usually not the group type of person, but I guess she hated us less than she hated everyone else, so we would suffice.

"Well that means we just need one more," I said passively while looking around.

"I'd like to fill that position," a taller girl with brown hair and a Kyoto accent asked. Natsuki was the first to speak.

"Fujino?" We were all surprised at the offer. Shizuru Fujino was the very popular Student Council President. A lot of people in Fuuka worshiped her, both students and faculty. She had a very graceful and polite way about her along with a certain charisma that seemed to have an effect on the entire student body. However, none of us really knew her all that well. At least, I didn't think so until I saw a creeping blush creep on Natsuki's face.

"Wh..why would you want to?" Natsuki tried to keep her face straight. Shizuru sighed.

"Apparently no other group wants me and I heard you had an extra spot," she smiled politely. There was definitely no denying her, no matter how unlikely it was that she couldn't find another group. After Fujino joined our group, Natsuki kept even more quiet than usual. In fact, Aoi kept unusually quiet as well. She hardly even made eye contact with me.

"All right class, re-focus," Fumi interrupted the crowd's chatter. "Each of you is going to get a tour guide that's going to show you around the Temple's grounds. Please be patient while we pair everyone up with their guide."

It didn't take too long for us to get paired up with ours. We all looked down at him. Nao's eyebrow twitched. He was definitely smaller than all of us and had the face of a little boy even with older-style spectacles resting on the tip of his nose. His hair reflected off of the sun as if it didn't have any color whatsoever. He looked at all of us and smile.

"Hi, I'm Nagi. I'll be showing you around for the next few days."

"Fumi-sensei, I think we got jipped, we only have half of a tour guide!" Nao shouted towards Sensei. Aoi frowned while Natsuki and I face-palmed. Nagi only laughed.

"I'll do my best to compensate for my stature," his eyes had a certain glint in them that made him seem wiser than his age gave him credit for.

All the groups began to break up and we followed Nagi to our room. As we walked Nagi would explain certain areas and what they were in the Fire Princess' legend. By now I was really wishing I read that book before coming here. The group stayed fairly quiet. Shizuru would ask a question every now and then, but the rest of us were silent.

"Ah here is a landmark you might find interesting," Nagi childishly ran ahead towards a wooden bridge that loomed over the larger creek that I noticed twisted throughout the entire temple grounds.

We walked faster to try and keep up with him.

"This my friends is where the Fire Princess and Stone Prince had their first kiss," he tapped on the wooden rail-guards. I'm never really one for scenery, but even I had to admit it was pretty breathtaking. It had a perfect view of the winding creek below and the bridge itself was made out of a very deep rich wood that felt smooth to the touch.

"It is said that anyone who kisses on this bridge while the moonlight hits the creek will be connected to one another for the rest of eternity," he stared into the water dreamily.

"Well isn't that incredibly romantic, right Natsuki?" Fujino smiled and asked the dark haired girl. Blush crept up her neck and sharply turned to move forward off the bridge.

"Whatever," she replied and kept marching on. Nao scoffed while Aoi and I exchanged glances. I smiled at her, hoping to send some mental signal that we should try sneaking a kiss under the moonlight tonight. She made brief eye contact and broke it as quickly as she made it. My stomach churned.

Did I do something wrong?

The rest of the tour was pretty simple. Each landmark represented a place in the legend where something important had happened. We learned that the temple itself was way farther down the way from the rooms that we were staying in. Nagi explained how important the temple was to the locals nearby and it made them very nervous to know a bunch of students would be trampling over temple grounds.

We finally made it into our building that had a classic shrine look to it, obviously to please the tourists. A few groups had already made it ahead of us. Nagi slid the door open for us and showed us to our room. The room itself was very pretty with a few decorations. Our five bed cushions were lined up across the floor in a row. Of course I looked towards Aoi first but then Natsuki grabbed my arm.

"Chie, you don't mind if I sleep on the end and you sleep next to me do you?" Her eyes were narrow and very serious.

"Uh, I guess not?"

"Wonderful!" Fujino grabbed my other arm. "Then you wouldn't mind if I slept on the other side, Chie-kun?" She gave me her very polite yet expecting smile.

"Fujino, you don't even know her," Natsuki growled. Shizuru cocked her head with her smile still plastered on her face.

"Even better. I am always in the need to meet new friends," she replied in a very courteous tone. Natsuki didn't have anything to come back with so ended up mumbling to herself in a corner.

I looked at Aoi with my apologies in my eyes. She averted her eyes away once again. Now I was starting to get worried.

We set our things near our pallets and headed to dinner with the other groups. Fujino and Natsuki were determined to both sit by me so I ended up being sandwiched between them while Nao and Aoi ended up sitting next to each other.

I watched them carefully and inwardly sighed. How could things get anymore awkward? We ate dinner with a few glances passed around the table. I was nervously bouncing my foot up and down. I couldn't wait until this stupid ass field trip was over.

It finally was starting to get dark out. Sensei wished us a good rest when curfew came upon us and our groups filed into our rooms again. I'm sure most of the other groups were having fun settling in and chatting with their fellow group-mates. Our group settled into their pallets and turned off the lights as soon as we got the chance.

I wanted to try and stay awake to sneak out with Aoi and get back to that bridge, but I felt my eyes getting heavier and lack of sleep caught up to me.

Unfortunately that sleep was interrupted by Nao as she nudged me.

"Chie," she nudged me again.

I barely opened my eyes to look at her.

"Natsuki and Fujino went missing in the middle of the night. Aoi went to go look for them," she said quietly. I practically jumped out of bed.

We put on our jackets to brace the cold breeze. Nao tugged on my jacket sleeve to guide me out of the dorms.

"What were they even doing up? It's way past curfew." I asked. Nao didn't answer back. We ran out of a smaller wooded area and came upon the bridge from earlier. I bent over to try and catch my breath. I really needed to run more because this was pathetic.

Nao leaned forward against the wooden rails and peered into the water. The moonlight reflected back onto her face. For a brief second I noticed how gorgeous the light was when it was reflected in her eyes. I mentally slapped myself and tried to get back on task. Aoi.

"Do you think they went further than this?" I asked.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" Nao asked quietly.

"What's stupid?" Crickets and other assorted wildlife rumbled quietly through the area. Everything else stayed silent except for the gentle splashing of the creek. Nao ignored my question. I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose. I didn't have time for Nao's cryptic discussions right now. I wanted to find Aoi.

"Chie," she said softly. I could barely hear her, so I took a few steps closer to her. She was pointing below. I peered over the rail to stare into the creek. The moon was reflected within the waters so brilliantly that it looked like the creek had it's own moon beneath its surface. I had to admit, it was very gorgeous.

"For all eternity, hm?" Nao said quietly, more to herself than to me. She turned to face towards me the moon's light still bouncing off her eyes making them a brighter and a more brilliant green.

Oh God this was it. My mind started panicking. She was going to finally confront me and scream at me. She just wanted to wait until we were alone. I closed my eyes preparing for her to berserk again. Instead, she placed both of her hands on each side of my face and brought my lips to hers. My eyes snapped open.

I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking at that moment. Everything went silent, including the wildlife as if they were watching us. I stood there without pulling away. I've wondered what her lips tasted like for years and I would be lying if I said I was disappointed. She parted my lips with hers and ran her tongue along my bottom lip.

My knees felt like they were turned into pudding. I stood there paralyzed. It felt different from when Aoi and I first...

My brain snapped back into reality and I broke the kiss.

Her eyes were cold and distant and her famous cocky smirk was back on her face. She stared at me with her arms crossed, not saying a word.

"Why?" I asked sternly. I felt the heat rising off my face.

"You love me, don't you? You always have. You didn't realize that I knew how often you would gaze at me in class. Or when you'd try to turn away if I "accidentally" dropped something and had to pick it up," she kept her eyes on me. I stood completely still. My hands curled up into fists.

"You knew. All these years you knew," now it was my turn to go berserk. "ALL those years you knew. You don't do shit about it until I finally move on and find someone who loves me back."

Her eyes hardened sharply.

"Love you? Chie I know you better than you know yourself. You and I both know that she's out of your league," venom dripped from her words.

I winced at the blow. I couldn't say it wasn't true.

"I felt your pulse against me Chie," she said in a softer tone. "I know you're not over me. That Senou girl will drop you like garbage as soon as she tires of you."

I wanted to retort. To scream at her and defend myself, but I stayed mute.

"Why get your hopes up, Chie, when you know you have me?" She wrapped her arms around me and nestled her head in the crook of my neck. "If the stupid legends are true, we're now bound by eternity." I felt her smile against me. I wasn't smiling.

I clenched my fists and broke away from her once more.

"Your wrong," I said shortly. I turned away from her and started walking back to our room.

"When are you going to tell her about our little adventure tonight?" She yelled back to me. I ignored her and kept moving on with my feelings in utter chaos. She had a very valid point though. What am I going to tell Aoi?

_What the fuck have I done?_

* * *

><p><em><em>Oh man so much angst and drama! I was wondering if I should have broken this up into two chapters but I felt it was better to mush it into one longer chapter. I hope that I didn't stuff too much into it though!

Oh and for those who might be curious about Natsuki and Shizuru's story, I'm thinking about writing up a side story involving these two. It wouldn't be anything too long but it would give everyone a clue what was going on with them.

Lemme know if you want to read a side chapter or two with them.

As always, please leave a review!

-Lillium


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